Infinity Blade 2 Review

The highly anticipated sequel to the original Infinity Blade packs in better graphics and deeper gameplay via new weapons, combat, and a much more coherent story than its predecessor.

The Pros

Storyline is richer and far more enjoyable

Combat choices make fights more tailored to your play style

Pushes iOS's graphical capability to the limit (it's gorgeous)

The Cons

No multiplayer component... yet

On-rails gameplay isn't for everyone

Minor voiceover/subtitle bugs

Infinity Blade 2 Review:

It’s been a little over a year since Infinity Blade took the App Store by storm; indeed, it’s been the gold standard games in its class are measured up against. Now, we’ve received a sequel to IB1 that improves on the original in almost every way and never feels stale or recycled.

Infinity Blade 2 doesn’t need a flashy subtitle, or a major overhaul of its basic tenets to grab our attention. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -- and while Epic Games certainly took great care to bring the game up to date and provide us with a deeper gameplay experience than the first, they also made sure to stick to what makes Infinity Blade such an awesome game-turned-franchise.

Let’s get graphic

The game starts off by showing off its exterior: the graphical upgrades are downright stunning on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4’s A5 processor, specifically the textures on the character and enemy models. Oh, and while you only ran into about 10 different enemy models in the first IB, you’ll be encountering around 50 different types of enemies in Infinity Blade II, and they all have their own combat styles and nuances to learn. Some of your foes are huge and terrifying, with razor sharp teeth and huge, armored legs to kick you in the face; other enemies are lithe, dual wielding swords, and swift with the stabbings to your chest. It makes the gameplay more entertaining (and a lot less repetitive) than the first Infinity Blade.

In addition, the sweeping vistas offer breathtaking views and immersive atmospheres for you to explore. Last time around, every rebirth felt like an exercise in exploration limitations; in Infinity Blade 2, the options are much more varied and feel like actual exploring. This expansion makes the “on-rails” aspect of the game much easier to swallow, since you’re seeing a lot more in terms of locations in-game. IB2 shows off just about everything iOS is capable of graphically, and the game shines because of it.

One of the primary complaints about the original Infinity Blade was the ultra-thin “story” (if you could even call it that). We’re happy to report that’s not longer the case; not only did Epic Games simply create a passable storyline for this go-round, they’ve gone above and beyond with some excellent voiceover and a highly satisfying story.

This time, our hero Siris knows he’s being constantly reborn, and that serves the story in a coherent way. Sure, you’re still in a life-death cycle that sees you constantly retreading the same ground as you progress through the game, but this time, it actually has meaning to the protagonist as opposed to simply acting as a mechanic to explain why you have to walk the same castle over and over again.

Fighting the power... with more power

Combat receives some hefty changes in Infinity Blade II; specifically, you’re given more options, weapons, and armor to utilize, as well as gems to outfit your gear with. Now, you can choose between three kinds of weapons: a sword and shield combo (your sort of ‘balanced’ setup); a heavy weapon for massive damage (requiring more precision timing on strikes, since your attacks are slower); and dual-wield blades (no shield for blocking, but can chain attacks nicely). After using all three, I personally still prefer the old board-and-sword approach, but it’s great to see Epic Games taking other playstyles into consideration and offering everyone a choice for combat.

Adding to your custom fighting experience are gems that offer various kinds of bonuses (XP boosts, various defenses, increased drop rates, etc.) that allow you to make your experience unique. Fights even provide newer ways to battle your enemies, as the dodge mechanic’s been nerfed a bit (you take “close call” damage now if you dodge too much in succession), and parry’s been tweaked to be a lot more forgiving during combat. You’ll need to master both to survive the combat against some of your foes; in fact, some of their moves are pretty tough to predict, making the combat interesting and engaging regardless of how many hours you’ve logged playing.

Best in show?

Infinity Blade 2 is, without a doubt, an epic title that represents everything that’s groundbreaking about iOS gaming. This game is the reason Nintendo and PlayStation should be quaking in their boots, because as time goes on, studios like ChAIR and Epic Games are only going to improve upon their past successes and create games and engines like Unreal 3 that offer stunning visuals, compelling gameplay, and constantly updated content (there will be a massively social combat component called Clashmobs added to the game we’re really excited to check out). Infinity Blade 2 is what mobile gaming is all about, and it’s clearly best in class. Simply put, you need this game.

Comments are Closed

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I don't understand why people are complaining about a review that they don't even have to read. Thanks to this review, I'm probably going to buy this and try it out. People, whether they write for G4 or Game Informer, should be able to review whatever they want...and they will. Games are games and a group of people worked hard to make this game so why shouldn't they get similar attention?

I honestly don't understand why people are getting mad at G4 for reviewing a game! Kind of their job is it not? I don't expect them to be reviewing Mafia Wars, or Farmville anytime soon, but when Epic Games releases an iOS game I appreciate knowing that it will be worth the 8$ to pay for it! It all comes down to whether or not you should spend money on it. I personally hope they can keep reviewing games for iOS like this, since I'm also wondering if getting Final Fantasy Tactics for iOS is really worth 16$

Nintendo feel threatened? well since this is G4 were talking about here, i guess so.I mean, they did give skyward sword a lower score than this, you know, because SS is "linear" and uses "Recycled content"but because theres a story reason i guess IB gets a pass... oh, but zelda has an even bigger story reason... guess its just because this is not zelda. G4 needs to have some cohesion amongst its review scores, thats all im saying.

What is with all this biatching about reviewing a spectacular portable game? This is a good way to get the game noticed by the public and to show that this game is worth buying. Anyway, Infinity Blade II deserves to be reviewed since it is being made with a large company's name on it, Epic Games, and it is the reviewer's job to provide an analysis of whether the game is worth buying or not to help the consumers make their decisions easier. What is wrong with that?

To swanychargers, Seluhir, etc. I own a 360, am currently engrossed in Skyrim with over 25 hours played, played Deus Ex most recently before that, my list of Arcade games owned and 100% gamerscore completed is ridiculous (seriously, Shadow Complex was a huge grind to lvl 50) and I have spent many nights playing games instead of writing essays (oops). I think I should qualify as a hardcore gamer.

I liked the first infinity blade, yes it's "on-rails" but it's still a fun experience. Infinity Blade II adds a really interesting story, different fighting styles that really affect how you play, and looks incredible on my 4S. Bought this the instant it was out, loving it already. Thanks G4 for the review, I'm glad you aren't ignoring a hugely significant game release.

Agreed Seluhir....people who play these type of games are a very casual gamer and i mean very casual, more than likely they don't even own a console. G4 is suppose to be for the hardcore gamer, beware G4 try not to reach too far into the cookie jar.

I think G4 should definitely review iOS/Android games. Even if some of them are smaller in scope, they are still games. And actually on some iOS games I've spent more happy hours than on console games so they deserve attention for sure. Finally, news flash: I'm not sure if some of you noticed, but this year less console games were released and a lot more mobile games saw the light of day. Get the trendt?